Canonize Him

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Good Sign?

The NYT is reporting that in Ohio there is a 250% increase on new Democratic registrations!! They performed a county-by-county analysis on registrations since January '04. Republicans have increased 25%. (Florida is showing similar patterns, though no data on other swing states was in the article.)

Is it possible that the polls putting Bush ahead in Ohio are off? I'm not sure what polls are considering 'likely voters' - but you have to figure a 250% increase in Democratic registration could give Kerry a huge bump. I mean, these folks have to be unhappy w/the job Georgie-Porgie is doing.....and Shrub barely eeked out a win in Ohio in 2000 (and we all know he didn't win @ all in FL).

...and I swear to g-d, Kerry better get down to bwass tacks (as Lily Von Schtup would say). Get over Vietnam. Get over Bush's service record. HAMMER on the issues. Today's issues. Bush has got this inordinate amount of luck where fuck-ups from others take the heat off him.

FOCUS PEOPLE!!!!!

Andrew Sullivan on why Kerry is Losing

I don't care that much for Andrew Sullivan - but every once in awhile he hits the mark, as he does with this Sunday Times article.

I subscribe to the idea of Anybody But Bush - but I as I've said before, I have never warmed up to Kerry (even though at this point he has 100s of my dollars).

Someone might have to watch the debates for me and spoon feed me how it went.

The U.N. says up to 10,000 people are dying per month in the Sudan. The U.S. has said the violence amounts to genocide and accuses their gov't of not doing enough to stop Arab militia attacks.

For g-d's sake - these people have oil!!!! Why aren't our bombers in the air? Why is Shrub not 'liberating' the Sudanese? What is the big deal of losing 1,000+ more U.S. lives?

I've Been Gallop'd

For those who've wondered if there actually ARE Gallop polls - there are!

Saturday morning my phone rings and caller id reads 'Gallop Poll'. Of course, I answer. And answer all their election-type questions.

All about Kerry v Bush. Though a few 'what ifs' - like throwing in Nader's name into the mix. A lot of questions about my voting habits and what I thought would be biggest issue of November. I only got to chose between Terrorism, Economy and Iraq. "I think Bush is a flaming asshole" apparently was not one of the choices.

Crystal (that was my pollster's name) was very nice and appreciative that I stayed w/the survey. I'm assuming many hang-up. I thanked her for letting me participate. Then we did lots of demographic info - age, political leanings, household income.....blah blah blah.

I feel like I got to vote for President twice this year!!

OHIO GOVERNOR PROBABLY HITS NAIL ON HEAD (and doesn't know it)

A soft groan ran through a breakfast crowd of Ohio delegates when Gov. Bob Taft said, "Ohio will be the Florida of 2004." His aides explained that the governor was referring to Florida putting the president over the top in Electoral College votes - not to the long battle over ballots that left the election's results in doubt for weeks. "We're talking until just before the recount," said chief of staff Jon Allison, "not for the six months afterward." (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

John Dean

....no no...not Howard's brother. At least I don't think so.

Nixon's one-time lackey was in Cleveland, promoting his new book about the Bush and his administration ("Worse Than Watergate" - ouch!) and speaking at City Club. But he had one of the funniest quotes I have seen in a while:

"I think Cheney has been very clever in letting George Bush wake up every morning and believe he is president."

Look! Look! It's me!!!!

1,037th from the front. 18th from the left.

So - what do you do when your 5 yo niece says (in a group of people) "can I see your penis?"

Of course, I said, 'no'. But somehow I feel like the dirty one in the conversation. I mean, it's not like I'm a priest.

I think the best part of the conversation was when her mother said, "you've seen one - and they all look alike." And without missing a beat, my niece says, "so, then what's the big deal......can I see it?"

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Senators

So - here's an interesting tidbit I didn't know. Only TWO U.S. Senators have ever been elected president! TWO!! ....and those would be Garfield and Kennedy. Statistically, this does not look good for Kerry. But at some point the odds have got to change - right? RIGHT? Ok people, just agree w/me already.

And in last week's New York, Norman Mailer (whom I can take - or not) had an interesting take on John McCain. He thinks regardless of what McCain says, that he wants to be president and it comes down to this: If he aligned himself as Kerry and became his VP, he'd have been a lame-duck VP b/c the Dems would never elect him - nor would the GOP. But if he aligned himself w/Shrub, he'd have a chance to be the GOP nominee in 2008 - regardless if Shrub won or lost in 2004. Certainly makes sense to me.

Dennis Hasert is a putz.  Mr. Speaker clearly assess blame on the previous administration for lack of action on terrorist threats.

"The (9/11 commission) report covers eight years of the Clinton administration and eight months of the Bush administration," Mr. Hastert said, insisting at the same time that he did not want to see the report turned into a "political football" during an election year.

Now, doesn't he just act like he lost the coin toss and kicked off for the 'football' game?   Putz.

Two points of internet interest (at least I think):

Fundrace is a completely voyueristic tool (he he...I said 'tool')to see who has contributed to political campaigns - and how much they have given. I am not sure of it's accuracy - as I had given more than $150 to Howard Dean. And they are at least a month behind in posting results. You can also search by zip code to see where your neighborhood lies. And there are detailed maps of some cities and their contribution trends. On another note: of all the people listed w/my last name - 83.3% gave to democratic candidates! YAY!


Outfoxed is available on DVD and VHS (VHS?? Isn't tape dead?)for less than $10. It will not have theatrical distribution ala Michael Moore's films - but still proves to be very interesting. ....that is, IF you can stomach it.

VP Selection

So Edwards it is. I can live with that. Some say that Edwards was the safe choice, but I think Gephardt would have been the safe, if not fatal, selection.

Bill Frist was prattling on and on about how Edwards has no foreign relations and national security experience. I won't argue that point - but except for Saudis, what experience did our dickhead president have as Governor of Texas? What experience does a doctor turned senator from Tennessee have? Just SHUT THE FUCK UP already!

NPR had someone going on about how both Kerry and Edwards are millionaires and they aren't that far from where the GOP candidates are - monetarily or ideologically. Ok. Then how does the GOP make the argument on the Kerry/Edwards being liberal?

I'm still a tad bit scared. I cannot warm up to Kerry. Edwards might help a little. Of course I will vote democratic in Nov 2004. But will enough others do the same?

On Posing Nude

There’s nothing quite like waking at 3:15 to go pose in a group nude installation project.

Me & 2,753 of my closest and nekkidest friends met down behind the Rock N Roll Hall o’Fame this morning @ 4:15. That is A.M. Though I told Tom Green that: “….naked in downtown at 4:00 a.m. – eh, it wouldn’t be the first time.” But this time it was for Spencer Tunick. Famous for his mass nude installation projects (and cousin of one of my brothers-in-law).

It was amazing the amount of folks who participated. 4,300 had signed-up, but usually only 50% show (do the math – we had a 64% show-rate). A fairly good cross-section of people. It really was the great equalizer. No one body type. No one colour. Tan folks. People with lesions all over their body. Fat. Skinny. Hairy. Smooth. …and those were the women! (kidding!) Couples in their 60s and 70s. A lot of pierced/tattooed 20-somethings. And the rest of us between the two groups.

Yet another event attended where I’ve decided I must be one of the last few tattooed folks on earth. I venture to guess the guy who had the four South Park boys inked into him (twice, I might add!!) will end up regretting that at some point.

The temperature was a tad bit chilly. 57 was the high (and that didn't account for the breeze off the lake). Welcome to summer in Cleveland! It was cold when clothed. Colder being naked, laying on brick pavers. And even colder on dewy grass. (A number of different poses @ each setting.) But what a fuckin’ great experience. Most everyone was well behaved. The younger the participants – the more immature, though I’m guessing most had not been to bed and still drunk from the night before. Some had alcohol seeping from their pores. Nice for the neighbours.

Most everyone was nice and chatty. Most of them where there for the sake of the art – since there didn’t seem anything overtly exhibitionistic or arousing about the situation. With the time of day and temp, it was more misery loves company than anything else. I met one guy who looked horribly familiar to me – and me to him - who came up to me and asked if we knew each other. He said that I looked familiar. My response back was “you mean the face…..right?” We could not place how (or if) we actually knew each other.

Afterward I introduced myself to Spencer and Kristy (his wife) as Jon’s brother-in-law. That got a really nice reaction from both of them. Spencer said he’d make sure I got an additional print of the installation. Cool!

As queer as it sounds (and Morty and Jon can shut right now!) – as I stood there, either posing or in between shots, I kept coming back to an episode of ‘My So-Called Life’ voice over:

Sometimes it seems like we're all living in, like, some kind of prison. And the crime is how much we hate ourselves. It's good to get really dressed up, once in a while. And admit the truth. That when you really look closely, people are so strange and so complicated that they're actually...beautiful. Possibly even me.

Rebecca's piece appeared on Friday's All Things Considered. It was a great great piece.

Go listen to it. And email the link. Let's make her #1 in emailed NPR story links.

Sometimes I cannot listen to NPR on my drive to or from work (but really, what are my alternatives?). My blood just boils.

Tonite (6/16) Fresh Air had Robert Bryce, author of Cronies: Oil, The Bushes, and the Rise of Texas -- America's Superstate. Shrub's friends just get scarier and scarier.

James Baker, GHWB's Secretary of State, also happens to belong to/owns a law firm (Baker Bott) who happens to represent Haliburton. Same law firm who happened to represent Shrub in the Florida recount. Same law firm who has a partner who happened to be the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (appointed by Shrub himself).

I'm sure it's allllllll a coincidence.

GREAT link to a funny media display - provided by my sister Adrienne and Spencer Tunick.

Funny posting from gawker.com

Ronald Reagan, Still Dead: Party Like It's 1988?

We've heard rumors that an East Village bar is planning a party to celebrate the death of former President Ronald Reagan. Now, that's just in bad taste, people! How could you? And why haven't we gotten an invite yet? Please inform.

Since celebrity death comes in threes, maybe they'll hold off on the party until the "ailing" Margaret Thatcher and the apparently still-living Pope John Paul II meet up with Ronnie in hell?

[UPDATE: Eh, lighten the fuck up, people. I'll see you in hell, too.]

FINALLY!

Coming Friday June 18 on NPR All Things Considered :

"Take Five" by Rebecca Flowers
Going in and out of cool, in syncopated time. A daughter and dad's ever-changing relationship moves to the beat of a jazz standard. A Father's Day ditty.

Finally I gave to the Kerry campaign. I was mentioning to some folks the other day that I just wasn't feelin' the love w/him. He's no Howard Dean. Gov & M.D.!

But Becky took me (and Jon too)to task for not contributing to the ousting Bush. Jon wanted to wait until he knew who Kerry's running mate would be. Becky's response?

JON!!!!!

That's unconscienable! (Spelling?!) Why don't you just go ahead and VOTE for Bush, too???!!

Really, what are you waiting for? To see if HITLER is going run w/Kerry? I'd still vote for them, frankly.

Shame, shame on you.



Yes. Shame Shame on us. I did notice Morty never mentioned whether he's given or not. HE wasn't spanked!